Inauguration Scrap Dealers Association in Teknaf and Ukhiya

The value chain analysis showed many social, institutional, financial, and managerial challenges in the way of the scrap dealers community reaching its full potential. Most of the scrap dealers had poor financial management systems such as handwritten books to document cash flow or no bank account, making it difficult to estimate the business size. Social problems include

Inauguration Ceremony of Teknaf Scrap Dealers Association 

lack of social recognition of the sector, hiring child laborers in scrap shops due to low cost, exposing workers to high-risk working conditions, etc. 

To resolve these, UNDP, under its  Sustainable Solutions to Solid Waste Management (SSWM), established the country’s first Scrap Dealers Association in Teknaf at Abdur Rajjak Market of Islamabad and Ukhiya- at Patabari near the new forest office check post. 

Teknaf scrap dealer’s association was officially inaugurated in March 2021 at Teknaf with honorable UNO, Chairman, UNDP, and other relevant stakeholders. The chief guest at the ceremony was Mr. Nurul Alam, sub-district Chairman of Teknaf, and the Special guest was Mr. Parvez Chowdhury, UNO of Teknaf. UNO of Teknaf Mr. Parvez Chowdhury has said, “Now these scrap dealers are socially secured and widely acceptable.” 

Although the Palong-Raja Ukhiya  Scrap Dealers Association Limited was officially formed in November 2020, due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the association could not organize the inauguration program. On 08 December 2021, they organized formally the SD  association 

Inauguration Ceremony of Palong Raja Ukhiya Scrap Dealers Association

inception program at their office premises. The program saw the presence of  Rajapalong Union chairman Jahangir Kabir Chowdhury,  Cooperative Officer Selim Ullah,  Practical Action Project Lead Mamun Chowdhury, Solid Waste Management Specialist Sayed Monjurul Hoque of UNDP, Community Mobilizer Saleha Akter of UNDP, representatives from BRAC, and members of scrap dealers association.

The key objectives of the cooperative associations are to give the crap dealers an institutional identity, create employment opportunities in this sector, create options for loans with low interest, and improve business modality. After forming the Associations of the scrap dealers in Ukhiya and Teknaf, the project uses this platform to support the recycling sector by building up the scrap dealers’ administrative, management, and business capacity. 

To formalize the collection of recyclables in the camps and avoid informal collection from Rohingya (mainly participated by children), the project presented a proposal to the WASH sector to operate through the Association of the scrap dealers of the host communities. The approach ensures that only associated dealers are collecting waste from the camps. The proposal has been approved and integrated into the WASH Sector SWM Strategy. Dealers have agreed to collect the recyclables from camps for free and distribute the benefit among the associated members.

Through these associations, members can now generate funds, express their voice to the local government, and can seek support in an organized way from each other. Today, more than 40 scrap dealers are benefitting from the associations, and more and more are enlisting every day.